Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-05-07
A RECITAL OF HORROR.
"Cabriolet" Reoounts a Tale Told to Him
by a Frenchman in a Southern
Prison-A Ten-Minute Eternity.
Lost in Partisan Sewer-A IN Awful Battle
with Rats-A Loathsome Human Mon
ster Who Lived in Underground
Paris in n Universe of slime.

| Let there be no mistake about my con
nection with the remarkable recital that i
here given for the first time to the public
| do not say that believe Jean Pierraut
frightful story of adventure. and | admi
that it is almost too horrible TO hope foI
hums credence. And yet the man VIII,
told il to me was as sane as the reader or
am. His brain was just as clear, and fol
twenty days preceding my first and onl!
meeting with HIM, ne had been in the con,
| hnement of prison where il was impoSSi
hle for him to secure liquor, had he wanted
it. And moreover. he assured me that he
had not tasted a drop for eighteen years
and believe him. On this point the reader
| is at liberty to pass his own verdict Il
matters not TO me whether that decision
| shall be that Piereau'S story was TIE incC.
herent vagaries of lunatic. or the haym-
less rawlings of an alcoholic frunkard. And
now 10 the story. which | will briefly pr,
lude by remarkiDg that il is more wierd, rT
canny and horrifying than anything which
rouancer Haggard. With his liNid and hec-
tic imag'1ation, ever yet dreamed.
n the winter of 1852. paid visit r.
my biz .hpiace in Atlanra, GT0r sia. fo- the
dual purpose of writing mp tAe great cotton
exposition for the newspaper on whose
staff ! vas then employed. and Of getdng
poi-ters o. a now famous criminal case
vhicr a. Just then hanging over Spring
teld ready 20 burst its dart cloud O. hea
deso,atiOa and family sea .dai. Ire mont.
Y a. December--the mt St Undesirable of the
treorl ia winter. Toe ar was raw ana
bleak. and great masses % fog ike the
~ebula of gh0stly re@iment, chased ea b
ether about the city. My lodgi Is happened
10 be within block of the city prison-a
great, gar1t stone building. much like
Roman for. resS, anG one of the few stiuc-
tures which Sherman's shells and torches
had been powerless to humble. Ny news
paper wGIl mad I row me much into the
sc aiety of jail attaches. and ii was not long
until had picked up 4 pleasant acquaint-
ance with LIE key NoIton, the giim old
turnkey il charge Of the prison.
ReiIrning from a social entel tainment
late one night. dropped into the prison as
usual. Norton was not in his little Office
and on inquring for him, deputy told me
that he was back i'm one of the cells, tel
din the man volunteered, ito one of the
worse cases we've met up with in
coon's age. Prisoner in Gel
No 10: must have snakes.
reckon, but | don't see how he can have.
for he's been in here three weeks tomor-
row. and he amt never been violent tell
now Couldn't be snakes, don't you reck-
on?" interrogatiyely.
What form did his violence take"
asked idly. Ugly prisoners are chestnut
to every newspaper man.
Why. rat got in his cell tonight, after
the CT dmbs of his supper. Don't reckon he
ever met up with rat before.
for he set up such hollerin'
as | never heard long as I've been
in this iail And Sure'S you're boll, he
caught the rat with his hands, and bit into
it with his teeth. tell the rats skull cracked
like you world crack a .oober. Ugh. Say,
il you-"
| intel. Lpted the mans IOquacity by get
ting I'D and going back into the rear part Of
the iaiI. where knew No. 10 was located.
There | found OLD Larkey Norton com
posedIy unwrapping straight jacket from
around the prisoner. The man was calm
now and placid from the profound weak
ness of deep exhaustion. His face was as
white as handkerchief. and his eyes were
trimmed ith dark circles. His hair was
matted in front with perspiration, and the
neckercnef wound about his throat was
soaked. The blue blouse he wore was
stained in front with the blood of the rat
he had tom with his teeth, and in the cor
ridor in front of the cell lay the disem
boweled and mangled body Of the rat itself
but lust where il would be out of the
sight Of the prisoner.
Hes good one. I" remarked Norton to
ne. with a nod toward the man whose arms
he was setting at libel,y. The man raised
his heavy eye-lids and gazed stupidity and
sullenly at me moment. Then all of a sud
den his face became animated and he said.
with a strong French a"cent, which l will
not attempt TO reproduce here:
You are not of this jail. You are
stranger. Good. Let ME tell you my story.
You will listen without prejudice. Here